Approximately 60 percent of college students said they may be addicted to their cell phones, according to a study from Baylor University.
Specifically, students think the time they spend on their phones is mostly spent on the Internet. BYU-Hawaii students said they agreed and want to cut down their Internet time. Here are five things students said can help to avoid Internet addiction:
1. Leave the phone at home
It sounds crazy since most students have a phone in their pocket. Students reflexively reach into their pockets and pull out a phone when they’re standing in the lunch line, get bored, or when they’re trying to avoid an awkward situation.
Sable Thompson, a sophomore from Colorado studying exercise sports science, said, “There will be times when I know I need to leave my phone at home, which does help a lot. When I didn’t have my phone, it made me realize that I don’t need it.”
Thompson said she leaves her phone at home every time she goes to the temple, during certain meetings, and when she leaves for classes she knows she won’t need her phone for.
2. Set a time limit
As nice as it is to connect with family and friends in other states and countries through social media, people sometimes spend more time with the people online than with the people who are actually around them.
McCall Skall, a junior psychology major from Colorado, said he suggests taking a break from the apps that can be most distracting. She said, “Social media is nice because you get to see what other people are doing and stay connected with them, but I think you need to limit that time so you can live your life and not live it through other people.”
She added, “I don’t think I look at social media as much as I used to. I just realized that I didn’t like sitting and staring at my phone.” Setting a limit of daily Instagram and Facebook time can help. Make an effort to actually talk to the people in the lunch line instead.
3. Put blocks on your computer
One of the main problems students face when trying to complete assignments is getting distracted by social media.
Freshman Brian Jubitz, an exercise sports science major from Oregon, said it’s too easy for students to get distracted while online. He said, “I’ll be doing homework, and it’s easy just to click a browser and jump over to something else.”
SelfControl is an online app students can download to block the websites that distract users so they can get work done.
4. Keep yourself busy
Jubitz said, “I feel like the Internet takes away from going out and enjoying the outdoors and the company of others. We spend too much time focusing on what’s in front of us and not enough on what’s going on around us.”
Students said making a bucket list helped them get off of YouTube. Seeing what there is to do around Hawaii, joining a club, going to a student event, and hanging out with friends are all alternatives for those who want to fix their habit of screen-sitting.
Thompson said, “I haven’t spent as much time online in these past two semesters than in my first semester, because I got a lot more busy and I was out doing things more. I think if you're more active socially, you’re less active on social media.”
5. Think about what’s most important
Viata Tiira, a senior studying political science and pacific island studies from Kiribati, said, “If you cannot control your time on the Internet, it’s going to drag you down, especially in school.”
Keeping goals in mind is a good way to limit screen time. Which is more important: a good grade in a class, or knowing your cousin just bought a cat? Remembering what really matters can help to put things in perspective and supply the motivation to log off social media, close the screen, or turn off the phone.